What does it mean to have an intellectual disability?

You know that feeling you get when a word is on the tip of your tongue? Being a person who has an intellectual disability is very similar. Just like you can still talk while a word is on the tip of your tongue, a person who has an intellectual disability can still participate in all aspects of life. Just like how you need extra time to find the word, people that have an intellectual disability may need extra time or some assistance to learn tasks and adapt to changes in their daily routines.

There is often confusion around the words developmental and intellectual.

Society has started to show favouritism towards the words “intellectual disability,” but that doesn’t mean that using the words “developmental disability” is wrong.

At Community Living Ontario, we use the words intellectual disability only to conform to society and to create consistency throughout our federation.